Not Without a Fight
by emjac
Summary: David's stepdaughter finds herself in more and more trouble as she tries to enter adulthood. Third in my Kara series.
1. Chapter 1

Three months had passed since Kara had last heard from her father. Three months with no calls, no texts, no mail, not even a birthday card for her all-important twenty-first. Life had gone on without him. School, parties, even a new job running around for one of the professors at school, and the prospect of a new boyfriend, everything had happened without her father. And that was all just fine with Kara. She prided herself on not having shed a single tear since hearing that he wanted her out of his life. She had wanted him out of hers as well. Wasn't that what she had been pushing him to do, leave her? She had been pushing him into it for years. So she should be happy about it, right? But she was numb. Still numb. After all these months. She felt nothing. Still.

The low angle of the full moon shone through the vast windows of the Rossi house, allowing enough light for Kara to wander through the rooms without turning on a light. It was after 3 and Kara was alone, her parents having taken off for the cabin two days earlier. They had asked Kara to go with them, but she didn't feel like being a third wheel. They deserved time alone, especially after everything she had put them through over the past several months. She also wanted time to herself. Portraying a happy face all the time was wearing and she needed a break from the front she was always putting on. This display of hers was easy in front of her mother, but she avoided David like the plague. For all the teasing she and her mother put him through, he really was quite good at his job, and too much time spent with him would leave him knowing that there was something wrong with her.

David's office was her favorite room and she saved it for the final leg of this night time tour. Moving slowly, she finally settled into her favorite corner club chair, pulling the throw blanket from the back of it and across her lap. She tucked her feet underneath her and slid down low. Once cozy, she looked across the room and found a crystal decanter of whiskey in her line of sight. Her lip pulled as she contemplated the appropriateness. All of her problems probably started with the alcohol, her mother's alcoholism to be precise. The stint in rehab forced her to live with her father which was the beginning of the downward spiral of that relationship. For a moment she thought, sitting there in the dark, that maybe she could make alcohol part of the solution and partake in a shot. Her last birthday made her of legal age, David probably wouldn't miss a shot, and it would help her sleep. The moment was fleeting though when she recalled that it would probably only enhance the numbness which was consuming her. No, alcohol was not her means of escape.

Her vice of choice was shoplifting. She had not engaged in this particular activity in quite a while, not since she had come clean to Dave one night and promised her mother she wouldn't do it again. She closed her eyes and reminisced about one day, months ago, when she had gone into a store and slipped cosmetics into her purse. The euphoria she felt then started creeping up on her now and she sighed deeply, relaxing in her memory. Tomorrow she would feel guilty and depressed that these are the kinds of thoughts that relaxed her and helped her sleep, but for now she would give herself over to it and sleep.

Kara jolted awake. Her eyes flew open and her heart pounded, but she was unaware of what roused her. She remained immobile and worked at slowing her breathing. All of her senses were on high alert. A moment later, she heard the tinkling of breaking glass coming from elsewhere in the house. How could her heart be beating harder than it was a mere moment ago? She slithered onto the floor and crawled the few feet to David's desk where a phone was sitting. Reaching up, she was able to pull it down only to find that there was no dial tone. The house alarm wasn't sounding, so the power must have been cut. Rummaging sounds could be heard coming from the living room. Kara remained crouched behind David's desk contemplating her next move. Her cell phone was upstairs next to her bed, so that would be of no help. Should she stay where she was and wait it out? That question was quickly answered as footsteps rushed down the hall towards her. Of course, if someone was targeting her family, Dave's office would be the logical focus. Still on the ground, Kara scampered to the opposite end of the room hoping the moonlight wouldn't cast its glow on her, and hid behind the open door.

Two men entered, one staying at the door and the other darting to the desk. Kara's body was scrunched as small as she could make it and she held her breath.

The banging of locked drawers being pulled echoed through the room. "Damnit, it's locked," said one of the intruders.

"Shoot it," called the other.

The ear splintering sound of several bullets being fired at the desk caused Kara to reflexively throw her hands up to her ears, but this action went undetected by the criminals.

"I don't see anything here."

"It has to be there somewhere. Keep looking."

The ring tone of Kara's phone sounded off upstairs causing all action to cease.

"Someone's here!"

"We need to leave now. There's nothing in this desk."

Before Kara's mind could even register the danger she was in, the two offenders were gone. Rooted in her spot behind the door, her body shaking, she removed her hands from her ears. Sirens could be heard approaching and her phone had started to ring again, but she could not get her body to move and her mind was blank.

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The ringtone sounded on the bedside table and Rossi reached for it out of habit.

"Rossi."

"Mr. Rossi, this is Matt from Alliance Security. The alarm at your house has been disabled. There are no power outages in the area so we have dispatched police. Are you home right now?" If there was ever a statement to fully awake the agent, that was it.

David pulled his body up and answered, "No. My daughter is home though."

"Police have been dispatched and will be there soon."

"Thank you," he said, out of habit, and ended the call.

By this point Erin's senses had been alerted, "What's wrong?"

"The alarm at the house has been disabled. I'm calling Aaron."

Erin reached for her own phone, "I'll call Kara. Maybe she just turned it off."

"No. The company can tell the difference -Aaron? Something is wrong at my house and Kara is home alone."

Erin said, "She's not answering her phone," as she moved around the room preparing to leave.

David said into his phone, "Kara's not answering her phone. We'll leave now but it will take about an hour to get there."

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Sirens whirred in the distance amidst the ringing in Kara's ears, and she stood to take in the scene around her. The phone upstairs continued to ring, but it seemed so far away. The sturdy desk had certainly taken the brunt of the bullets, yet was in better condition than she imagined it would be. Of course, she thought, Dave always did buy the best of the best. Leave it to him to have an almost bullet-proof workstation.

A car screeched to a halt and rushed footsteps bounded towards the house. With the sirens still further away, Kara's defenses rose again and she froze, or rather tried to freeze as she became aware that she was shaking uncontrollably. Within moments, Aaron Hotchner was standing in front of her, gun moving quickly from pointing at her to pointing at the ground as he yelled, "In here," he yelled and stepped closer.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No," she said. Her voice sounded so small that it surprised her and she attempted to clear her throat and try again. No luck.

"It's ok," the agent said, reaching out to take her arm, "let's get you out of here."

Through little effort of her own, she was guided into the living room. and seated on the couch. As soon as her arm was released, she rose.

"Kara, you need to sit."

"No," she whispered again, but found herself sitting nonetheless. By this point she was aware that most of her stepfather's team had arrived and the police were entering the house. Things seemed very loud as people began talking and searching. The ringing she was still hearing was not helping matter. Agent Hotchner was standing over her ordering people around, and JJ walked towards her, phone to her ear.

"We're here, Erin. She is unharmed but appears to be in shock," JJ sat down next to Kara and smoothed her hair as she talked. "Kara, your mom's on the phone. Do you want to talk to her?"

"No," she whispered for the third time. Any resolve she was holding on to would completely shatter if she heard her mother's voice.

"Erin," JJ said into the phone, still stroking Kara, "she's really shaken up. We'll get her to the hospital and I promise I'll stay with her until you arrive." After ending the call, she said to Kara, "Your mom and Dave are on their way home. The EMTs are here now to take you to the hospital."

"No!" The volume made several heads turn.

"Well, she's found her voice," Agent Morgan said with some amusement in his tone.

"Kara," Agent Hotchner's voice demanded her attention, "Let them check you out and then we'll decide.

She nodded her head and acquiesced knowing full well that she was not leaving without a fight.

AN: I only own Kara. Action sequences are not my specialty. I would love to know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you so much for all of the beautiful reviews. They make me as euphoric as Kara partaking in her favorite past time! I changed the time line a little here as I couldn't see anyone breaking into a house at the crack of dawn. Kara is the only character I own. Thank you!**

"I can't believe this is happening. This is the last thing Kara needs." Erin kept checking her cell phone as Dave raced home. She was trying not to be hurt that Kara wouldn't speak to her when she finally managed to get through to someone to the house. Years of training and working with victims taught her that Kara's avoidance shouldn't be taken personally. But this was her only child and she desperately wanted to hear her voice.

"She's been through a lot, yes, but she's strong," Dave said.

"Is she?" Erin asked, making her husband's head swivel towards her then back to the road.

"You doubt her?"

"No, I just worry. What's going to finally break her?"

"She's not going to break. We'll hold her together if we have to. Now let's focus on the break in," he said in an effort to distract her from her fears. "Do you have any idea who could have done this?"

"No, although maybe it was random."

"Maybe. But randomly breaking into the house of two FBI employees? That's some dumb luck."

Erin's phone sounded a fraction of a shrill ring before she was able to open it and put it on speaker. "Aaron?"

"Erin, Kara's refusing to go to the emergency room. Her blood pressure is low. She's pale and not talking much. The EMTs say she'll likely be fine at home if she stays laying down for a bit. Her blood pressure should rise in its own time. Or, if you want me to force her into the ambulance, they can take her in for observation."

David spoke first, "Keep her home. We'll be there shortly and take her in later if she doesn't improve."

"OK."

"Thank you, Aaron," Erin said and, when the call ended, she turned to David. "Still think she's strong enough to get through this unscathed?"

David reached out for his wife's hand. "I do. She's an awful lot like her mother. Besides, if we lose faith in her now, she will certainly lose faith in herself."

Erin lifted his hand in hers and kissed it, "I love you," she said.

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Kara felt vulnerable and out of control, and for that reason, she was doing everything in her power to remain in an upright position. Unfortunately, her body was not physically capable of following her brain's desires.

"Kara," JJ said, sitting closely to her, "calm down. If you keep fighting this, they will make you go to the hospital. I'm right here," she grabbed the young lady's hand for comfort. "You're safe. OK?"

Kara nodded her head and closed her eyes but they refused to stay shut. All of the agents and remaining officer had moved out of the room except for JJ who took her promises seriously. After what seemed like an eternity, her parents burst through the door and entered the living room The immediate relief Kara felt upon seeing them quickly turned to anxiety and she had no idea why.

"Kara, oh my God, baby, are you OK?" Erin was at her daughter's side replacing JJ who rose and moved out of the way.

Kara scooched up into more of a sitting position and tried to squirm out of her mother's reach. Of course, she was unsuccessful at that as Erin's desire to hold her was too strong for Kara to fight. "Mom, I'm fine." Her voice was still small. "Really, everyone's making a big deal but I'm fine." Erin turned her gaze to JJ and the question in her eyes was obvious.

"Her blood pressure went up to almost normal before the EMTs left. They said for her to take it easy for the rest of the day and bring her in if she experiences any more symptoms. Or follow up with her regular physician."

David had come around and kissed the top of her head, then walked to the opposite side of the room and let the rest of his team, who had followed him in, take the lead.

"Kara," Agent Hotchner began. When Kara met his gaze he continued, "are you ready to answer some questions?"

She simply nodded. His stern features seeming to compel her to. Agent Morgan spoke next, "So you were upstairs sleeping. What woke you?"

Kara cleared her throat and tried to collect herself. She took a drink of water while shaking her head, and everyone waited patiently for her to answer. "No," she finally said.

"You weren't sleeping?"

"I wasn't upstairs. I had come down earlier and ended up falling asleep in Dave's office."

"What time was that?"

"Maybe about one," she answered.

"So when did you become aware that something was wrong?" Agent Hotchner seemed to want to move this story along.

"I don't know what time it was, but I woke up and then heard glass break."

David looked questioningly at Aaron who caught the glance and said, "They came in through the back kitchen window." Turning his attention back to Kara he said, "Then what happened?"

"I tried the phone but it didn't work. I heard them in here," she glanced around, suddenly aware that this is where they had been, then continued, "then I heard them coming down the hall so I hid behind the door.

Dr. Reid spoke to Kara for the first time since arriving at the house, "How many do you think there were, Kara?"

"Two. There were definitely two."

It pained Erin to hear all of this and she added, "Maybe it was just some random break in."

"No," all eyes swung to Kara as she repeated her favorite word for this day. "They were looking for something. The desk was locked and that's when one of them started shooting."

"Do you know what they were looking for?" Agent Hotchner asked.

"No. They never said. Right after that my cell phone rang upstairs. They got spooked and left. That's it. The next thing I knew, you were here."

Kara repeatedly glanced in Dave's direction and realized that he had yet to make eye contact with her. She didn't know what to make of this, but it couldn't be good. Was he mad at her? She turned her attention to her hands in her lap and whispered, "I'm sorry." She didn't notice his eyes on her at that point.

"Oh, honey," Erin said. "None of this is you fault"

David moved forward saying, "I'm going to check out the rest of the house." His hands brushed over Erin's back and moved to Kara's head as mother and daughter remained huddled together. "I'll be back."

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David followed his teammates into the office and let out the the breath he had been holding. Everyone was silent as he walked around to stand behind his desk.

Shaking his head he said, "$7000 worth of hand crafted mahogany."

"I'm sure you can afford another without batting an eye," Derek said.

"Humph."

JJ added, "Well, at least it wasn't Kara."

Immediately chagrinned David frowned and walked out from behind the desk towards the door. Grabbing the knob, he closed it slightly to peer behind. He didn't expect to see anything exactly, but felt the need to view his daughter's hiding place. It wasn't very big. The chance of her having been caught were great. He voiced this aloud.

"So why wasn't she caught?" Hotch asked.

"Amateurs," Derek said.

"Amateurs who knew how to disable an alarm?" David asked. He moved to the side of the room which was lined with shelves, and removed the third book from the right off of the top shelf. Upon opening it, all could see that it was a fake book and Dave removed a small key. Walking back to the desk he unlocked the top left hand drawer which opened all of them.

"Smooth, Rossi," Derek said. "What have you got in there that's so secretive?"

"Really nothing that anyone would care about," he started riffling through and removing thinks in an effort to determine what someone could possibly want. "Sometimes I bring files home from work and I don't want Kara to see them, so I keep them locked in here."

"Does she come in her often?" JJ asked.

"She finds it comforting. She likes to read my books, sit in that chair. She doesn't sleep well. It's not uncharacteristic that she ended up in here last night."

Spencer said, "Do you think the unsubs could have known that?"

"It sounded like they were expecting an empty house," JJ said.

"Does Erin keep stuff in here? Could something of hers have been the target?" Aaron asked.

"She doesn't keep thing in here. I don't know what they were looking for," Rossi said, now putting away the contents of the desk.

"Kara could have been the target, too," Derek said.

"Not likely if they were in my office."

Hotch said, "We need to talk to Erin."

Dave said, "I'll go get her," and he trudged out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Kara was aware of him studying her from the doorway even though her eyes were fixated on the ceiling, still refusing to close. After a few moments she could bear the silence no longer, "See anything you like?"

He had been waiting for her to make the initial move towards a conversation, then chose to ignore her penchant to be flip. "What's going on in your head right now?" he asked.

That brought her gaze up to meet his. "Doesn't it mean something when someone answers a question with a question?"

He moved closer to her as she spoke, "Yes. For me, right now, it means I'm ignoring your sass. For you, right now, it means you're stalling in hopes of not having this conversation." He sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of her. "So, for the second time, where is your head at?"

She paused and looked away from him. "Well, since you don't like subtleties, let me just say, 'I'm not having this conversation with you!'' She moved as if to leave but the pressure of his hand on her leg compelled her to stay.

Dave took in the sight of her. She was still pale,still dressed in flannel pants and a t-shirt from the night before with a blanket now hanging loosely off of her. Her blonde hair was on the top of her head in a messy ponytail and the bags under her eyes seemed to grow larger as he looked at them. At that point he noticed how dry they were. "Why haven't you cried?" he asked.

The question was meant to shock her and it did. Her eyes snapped back to him, "Is there some reason why I have to cry?" she asked, the annoyance in her voice clear.

He removed his hand from her knee, confident that she was staying, and gave his shoulders a shrug. "Just seems like it would be a typical response."

"Oh, so now I'm not normal?"

"You tell me," he said.

She did not want to talk to him. Talking to him was dangerous as he always seemed to get her to reveal parts of herself that were better left hidden. "I think I'm fine."

"So why have you been avoiding me for weeks now?" Dave asked.

"Wait, I thought we were talking about the break-in."

"We were. Now we're talking about this. But if you'd rather go back to talking about what happened last night, that's fine with me. Why don't you tell me about what first woke you up."

"No," Kara said and stood. This time he let her. "I'm not talking to you about anything." She walked towards the door and was stopped by the arrival of her mother.

"What's going on? Kara? Why are you yelling at David?" Erin asked.

"Ask him. I'm going to take a shower," and she stormed away.

Erin looked wide-eyed at her husband while listening to her daughter race up the stairs and slam a door. "What happened?" she asked.

David walked to her and moved his hand along her arm. "It's OK. I pushed some of her buttons is all?"

"On purpose?" Erin asked, her defenses rising. "Today of all days?"

"Easy, Mama," he put an arm around her. "I needed her to react to something. She did."

Sighing, she asked, "What do we do now?"

"Leave her for the time being." They started walking towards the kitchen where the others had gathered. "Did you and the team come up with any ideas?" David noticed the glass had been cleaned up, and a repairman was in the backyard working on replacing the window pane.

Aaron heard David's question and took the liberty of answering it. "The only person Erin could think of who may have a personal issue with you, maybe all three of you, is Roger."

David's eyes widened initially and then narrowed. Erin felt him tense beside her. "Well, I can certainly see him having a problem with us but what do I have that he could possibly want?"

JJ said, "Besides his wife and daughter?"

"Maybe he's just trying to rile you up," said Derek.

"It all sounds pretty far-fetched to me," said Erin. "My ex-husband is a jerk, and probably a narcissist -"

"Probably?" asked David.

"Definitely a narcissist," Erin amended, "but exacting revenge like this? That was never his style."

"No?" Hotchner asked. "What exactly was his style?"

Erin sighed deeply and felt the warmth rising to her face. While these were her friends, and in many ways her family, she was still their boss and the invasion they needed to make into her personal life made her uncomfortable, no matter how many times they had ventured there in the past.

"I guess I don't really know any more," she quickly worked at trying to compose herself, "but you all have more important work to do at the office, and cases surely coming up, so you should probably get back to it."

Aaron took his cue from Dave who nodded his head almost imperceptibly, "Alright. We'll all go back to the office, but we will be working this case along with our others." This seemed to satisfy his superior, so he continued, "Dave, take as much time as you need and join us when you can."

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Kara hurried across campus to the office where she worked with her backpack heavy on her shoulders. She was supposed to arrive at ten, but it was now nearing half past the hour and she hated being late. Of course, it wasn't surprising considering the arguing she had to do with her mother to agree to let her go. There really was no reason to stay home; whatever had been going on with her blood pressure has settled, she probably wasn't going to sleep any time soon, and she didn't need to stick around for the cleanup. She needed work to distract her.

She had been working for Professor Radcliffe for a couple of months and loved being at his office. He taught criminology and she had taken one of his classes last semester and was in another one this semester. To be honest, she was still unsure if criminal justice was the route she wanted to take upon graduating. Lately she was leaning more toward psychology and, while the two could definitely go hand in hand in a career, they didn't necessarily have to. Further contemplation would have brought her to the conclusion that her interest into psychology originated from her own difficulties, but that sort of insight was not yet apparent to her.

Professor Radcliffe was also a rather handsome man. He was one of the younger educators at the college, in his mid thirties, recently married and with a baby on the way. Kara had no inclination that he would ever be romantically interested in her, but it made going to work, and class, easy. He had a sense of humor which made classes enjoyable, and was always kind to her when she went into work. Technically, she was employed by the department through the work study program which she entered when her father's checks stopped arriving. Of course, her mother and Dave paid for the bulk of her education, but she felt like she should contribute what she could. Afterall, they were preventing her from graduating with the mountain of student loans that most of her friends were going to have. The criminal justice department tended to assign work study students to particular professors, and then they would loan the students back to the rest of the department when they weren't needed. So, when Kara arrived at the office on her scheduled days, she would check in with Dr. Radcliffe, do whatever work he had for her, and then check back with the other professors when she was done to see if there was any way she could assist them. This worked well because she was able to familiarize herself with the rest of the faculty.

Of course all of this made matters worse when she approached the office building on campus and saw several police cars. Lost in her thoughts, Kara had not noticed the crowd of people around her until she was quite close to the building. It appeared that it had already been evacuated and no one was being allowed in.

"What's going on?" she asked the first person whose attentions she could grab.

"There was a break-in last night. Someone shot up one of the offices," the student said and continued walking.

Kara's stomach dropped. This had to be somehow connected to the break-in at her house. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence. Police officers were barricading the building and Kara thought of approaching one of them. Maybe they would tell her whose office it was, as if her gut wasn't already telling her that it was Dr. Radcliffe's. Likely, no one would tell her anything. She thought about calling her mother. She could call her, or Dave, or anyone on her stepfather's team. All of their contact info had been programmed into her phone ages ago. But she chose to call no one. Things were happening too fast and it felt like the world was spinning. Willing the world to right itself, Kara mustered up whatever power she had, and fled.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I am thrilled that my first story "Mending Fences" has been nominated for a 2015 Profilers Choice Award for Best Rossi/Strauss! If you haven't read it, check it out.**

 **My only characters are Kara and Professor Radcliffe. Enjoy!**

Dave had reached his limits in trying to wrack his brain and figure out who had broken into the house. The alarm company had been dealt with; his system was being upgraded to include more advanced counter surveillance mechanisms. He was trying not to berate himself too badly at having procrastinated on doing this since he married Erin. Prior to that, basic measures seemed appropriate. He was conflicted by feeling happy that he had a family to protect and angry that they needed protection. His morning had also been spent on the phone with a buyer whom he had dealt with in the past in hopes of procuring a new desk in a timely manner. Derek had been correct in that this proved not to be too difficult of a task.

Erin was in the kitchen settling things with the window repair, and David was in his office cleaning up a bit when his cell rang. Without even bothering to check the ID he answered, "Rossi."

It was Hotchner, "David? It's Aaron," David, either from habit or as a result of his day, focused all of his attention on the voice, "there's been a shooting at George Mason University."

David removed the phone from his ear and yelled out, "Erin!" before returning to his device. "You know that's Kara's school, right?"

"We know. We're on our way. Any chance Kara is home with you?"

David turned to face his wife's worried face as he switched the phone to speaker and continued his conversation, "No. She left about an hour ago. She went to the campus to work. What details do you have?"

"No one was hurt. The shooting took place hours ago. When people started arriving at the school this morning, a professor found his office had been shot up and he called police. Does the name Dr. John Radcliffe mean anything to you?"

The sound that emanated from Erin's throat told Aaron everything he needed to know, but he waited patiently for the verbal reply. "Yes," David said while moving closer to his wife. "That's the professor Kara works for."

"The unsubs must be long gone from the campus by now, but I'll have Garcia track Kara's phone and put out a bolo for her car. We'll be in touch," he ended the call.

David placed a hand on Erin's shoulder in hopes that it would give her strength and waited for her to speak first. He was awarded a mere moment later, "They have cases to work on."

"They are not going to let this go," he turned her slightly so she was looking him straight in the eyes.

"I always berated your team for becoming overly involved when one of your own was concerned. I cannot ask them to do the same for me."

"Erin, you have not asked them to do anything. They consider you one of the team, too. All that animosity has been under the bridge for years." He moved his palm up from her shoulder and placed it on her cheek as he continued, his voice raising slightly despite his efforts to keep it low. "Now this is not about you or me, this is about Kara. She may be in danger and she needs their help. Put whatever pride you have getting in the way aside, and work with them."

Erin felt the redness quickly take over her face as the harshness of his words sank in. Choosing between work and family had always been difficult for her and all too frequently she made the wrong choice, likely speeding up the dissolution of her first marriage. Of course, when the alcohol took over, that came above everything. She was ashamed that she needed her husband to put her priorities in order for her, but also grateful that he was there and wasn't afraid to confront her. She turned her head to kiss his palm and strengthened her demeanor.

"You're right," she said. "We need to find her and she needs a detail placed on her."

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The small park located outside of the campus and was sparsely populated on the sunny afternoon. Kara had walked there, leaving her car was still parked in the lot at school, and sat on a bench. Nothing that she could think of offered her any insight into who might be targeting her, or at least targeting the people around her. Specifically, the men in her life were being targeted. Two men whom she admired, one of whom she loved, both in crime fighting fields, well, kind of.

The lack of people in the park made the appearance of the man entering all the more obvious. Dressed casually in jeans and a leather jacket, his sunglasses hid the glances he was making, but Kara didn't miss the fact that, after his head swung in her direction, he sat on a bench diagonally from her and removed a phone from his pocket. He began the task of fiddling with it, but Kara knew she was in his sight. Tired of trying to determine who was breaking into her home and workplace, and probably tired from everything she had been through, Kara decided to let her mind drift to how exactly she was able to ascertain this strange man's intentions simply by observing him. Had she read enough of David's books to be aware of human behavior? Were the topics in her coursework thorough enough to provide her with this information? These two factors played a role, but Kara couldn't help but to consider that she had a keen sense about people that made her attune to them. If this was some sort of gift, she should use it, either to help people in a field such a her mother's and stepfather's, or to help people in a more therapeutic way. These were the thoughts that occupied her mind and assisted in her mental escape when her mother approached and sat on the bench beside her.

Erin put her hand on her daughter's knee, so grateful that she had found her safe, and waited for Kara to say something. It was only a moment before she was rewarded. "Your goon is here," Kara said, indicating the man on the bench.

"Well, that's not really a nice way of putting it," Erin said, looking towards the man who clearly knew he was being looked at, even as he played on his phone. "He is a very nice man and he is here to help."

"Oh, I'm sure he is," for once no trace of sarcasm was laced in Kara's voice. "I'm just trying to figure out what I should do with my life. I spotted him the minute he arrived. What does that mean?" she turned to her mother for the first time since Erin had taken the bench.

"What do you mean, 'what does that mean?' What are you talking about?"

"Well, does it mean that he really sucks at his job or that I have like a sixth sense about these things?"

Erin burst into laughter. When that subsided she said, "He most certainly is good at his job! And you do have a sixth sense about some things, but not so much about others. Like the fact that you may be in danger, as you have been involved in two break-ins and shootings today, and you are in a park in broad daylight like a sitting duck."

Kara turned her gaze away from her mother and an aloofness returned as she said, "Hmmm . . . I don't feel like I'm in danger."

Erin stood and grabbed her daughter's hand, "Better safe than sorry. I'm taking you home. We'll send someone to campus for your car later but we're going home now."

Kara rose with her mother and they started across the park to the waiting government issue suv with what looked like another goon in the driver's seat. "You really think home is safe? It wasn't so much last night."

"I assure you, it is safer than it has ever been. We will go and stay there. David is on campus and will join us later."

The heaviness of the situation weighing on Kara once again, she acquiesced and followed her mother into the car.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thanks for nominating my story "Mending Fences" for a Profiler's Choice award for best Rossi/Strauss. Be sure to check it out if you haven't already, and be sure to vote. Kara and Dr. Radcliffe are the only characters I own in this chapter. Enjoy!**

Rossi entered the college professor's office to find Agents Hotchner and Jareau already there interviewing the professor. The damage done here far exceeded what had happened at his home and he let out a low whistle which drew everyone's attention. "Anger certainly escalated," he said.

"Agent Rossi," a tall man approached and reached for David's hand. "John Radcliffe. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Kara speaks very highly of you." This proclamation brought up the attention and the heads of all present.

Shaking his hand, David asked, "Kara speaks of me?"

Confused by the question, Dr. Radcliffe answered, "Well, yes, but not in a bad way of course."

"So, generally, people in the department, people in her classes know who she is?" Agent Hotchner asked.

Looking from Rossi to Hotchner he said, "I guess so, some people anyway. She doesn't mention your name come to think of it. Just says, 'my dad.'"

"What kinds of things does she talk about?'

Dr. Radcliffe's head went down and he started to walk to the opposite side of his office, "Well, let's see. I can't really think of anything specific," he said.

"Does she mention cases he is on?" Hotchner asked.

Rossi answered, "She couldn't. She doesn't know anything."

"Why exactly are you asking about Kara? What does she have to do with this? Do you think she may somehow be involved?" His questions were directed at Agent Hotchner, but had he turned towards Rossi he would have shrunk back from the glare that was being sent in his direction.

Agent Jareau noticed it though and took the opportunity to smooth things over before they escalated. "The Rossi home was broken into last night. We think Kara may actually be the target and not you."

The relief that spread over the professor's face was immediate but he tried in vain to hide it. Lowering himself into his chair behind his dilapidated desk he said, "Oh, well, um . . . that's too bad. Really."

Rossi took a couple of steps towards the young man who found there was no way he could physically back out of the situation. The intention was to intimidate and in that he succeeded. "Kara will not be coming back here to work. And she will be withdrawing from your class. See to it that everything is taken care of." He turned to leave without waiting for a reply, but the "Yes, sir" of the dispirited man followed him out of the room.

Speed walking down the corridor, Dave muttered, "I don't like him," when he heard his teammates join him and match his cadence.

"Me neither, but he doesn't seem like he would be able to pull off this kind of a job," JJ said.

"No," added Hotch, "but he could have ordered it. "We need to talk to Kara again."

They exited the building and made their way to the cars as David pulled out his cell phone and banged in Erin's number. "Erin, where are you?" he hadn't meant for his voice to be as gruff as it was. Upon hearing her reply he added, "I need you to have the driver turn around and take you back to Quantico." His pace slowed as he listened and when she had finished he stopped walking altogether and dropped his voice, "I know you can take care of things at home, but we need to talk to Kara, and I really just need the two of you with me right now." The magic words having worked their magic, he entered the car and they all rushed back to work.

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By the time Erin and Kara walked off the elevator at the FBI building, Erin had completed the transformation from nurturing mom to bad ass BAU Section Chief. Kara had seen the metamorphosis before and it always intrigued her. She lagged behind her mother as they made their way to the conference room where the rest of the elite team was waiting. Exhaustion was taking hold. Kara needed to be able to change her persona the way her mother could, but she had no idea how. Until she did.

"Mom," she said, causing her mother to turn, "I'm going to grab some coffee from the break room before I head upstairs. OK?"

"There's probably coffee in the conference room," Erin said.

"Yeah, but I really just need a minute. I'll make it down here and then meet you," she waited a beat for her mother to acquiesce, then continued, "I think I'm pretty safe here, Mom, and I'm just going to get a coffee."

"Alright, but the team wants to talk to you again so you have five minutes," Erin turned and continued on her way. Kara stood watching her for a minute. She had not been told earlier that she was back here for questioning.

Multitasking was necessary now. Kara took her time making her coffee so she could simultaneously calm her nerves, regain her energy, and determine why she was needed for questioning. It seemed strange that her mother hadn't mentioned that when Dave had first called. The only explanation she had been given for their drive to Quantico was that Dave wanted them close to him. Did her mother out and out lie to her? Why would she do that?

Her phone beeped and Kara looked at it and saw a text had come through from an unknown number. _It's John R. heard what happened ur house. Hope ur ok_

Weird! Professor Radcliffe? She had never called him John, and he had never texted her before. She responded, _I'm ok. Thx_

 _I met ur dad. Cant blieve he thinks ur involved. I dont_

Kara's heart slammed into her chest and heat overwhelmed her. Dave thinks she's involved? That must be why they wanted to question her. She knew this wasn't going to work. There was no way she could ever live up to Dave's expectations. Here was proof that he knew it too. She desperately wanted him to love her like a daughter, especially after he had defended her with her father, and she thinks he wanted it to. But there had never been any real chance of that happening. She wasn't good enough, and he knew it. How long had he known it for?

 _I think I can help. Can u meet?_

She need to regroup, to think. If she was going to have to fight them, and she knew she was, she would need a plan.

 _Come to the CoffeeBean. Ill b w8ing_

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Dave made sure that he was sitting at the conference table when Erin entered the room. He knew the desire to wrap her in his arms would be overwhelming and that his wife would likely shoot him if he dared to do that at work in front of her subordinates. While they had all witnessed shows of affection outside the office, Erin insisted on not blurring the lines at work. Sitting was his best option.

Knowing what her husband would want, Erin walked into the room and immediately sought out David. She sent him her best "do not come near me" glare. When it was met with a wink, her features softened and she turned to the rest of the team who had missed the entire exchange, "What have you got?" she asked.

"We spoke with Dr. Radcliffe," Hotch answered, "Garcia is compiling information on him now, as well as information on the students in the class he teaches that Kara takes."

Dave asked, "Where is Kara?"

"She stopped in the break room for some coffee. She'll be right up. Are you saying you are suspicious of Dr. Radcliffe?"

"He's on our list, but so is everyone in that class," Aaron answered.

Spencer said, "Ya know, we shouldn't eliminate other professors in the office, if they worked with Kara as well."

"I'll add them to my list," Garcia said, her fingers flying across her laptop.

"Are we sure that Kara is the target? Do we know why?"

JJ answered, "It seems her connection with David and the team was well known, but we don't yet have specifics."

Erin tried to keep her emotions under control, but was struggling with that, "Where is she? She should be here by now."

David rose from his chair, "I'll go find her."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. I love them! Please be sure to check out my story "Mending Fences" which was nominated for Best Rossi/Strauss for the Profiler's Choice. I only own Kara.**

Kara sat at a table in the back corner of the kitchen at the BAU trying to determine her next move. Running had seemed like a good option, until she remembered the tail her parents had put on her. Escaping it would prove difficult, if not impossible. She had only responded to the first text she received from Dr. Radcliffe, or John as she supposed she was now to refer to him. Likely, he was at the Coffee Bean waiting for her. Every instinct she had screamed that meeting him was a bad idea. Texting with Rachel seemed like a wise option.

After filling her best friend in on all of the important details, Rachel's response was, _R u crazy? Dave luvs u! U need 2 go 2 him!_

The nagging voice in that back of her head told her that Rachel was right, but there was a smaller part of her psyche that was so afraid of rejection from him, that it practically paralyzed her. She didn't know why she needed his love and approval so much, but she so badly wanted them. After the end of her relationship with her father, well, actually before the end of that relationship, the desire for Dave's acceptance became so enormous that it occasionally overwhelmed her. Sometimes she would let her mind wander and pretend that he really was her father. She liked to see if she could get through a whole day like that. It would work for a bit, but then the reality of her parentage would come crashing back at her and her self-doubts would creep back in.

David entered the kitchen and noticed her tucked into the back of the room. Instead of approaching her right away, or even making his presence known, he hung back and observed. She had her back to the corner of the room with her feet up on a chair in front of her and her knees pulled in close. Her head was tilted back and he guessed her eyes were closed. Some instinct must have alerted her to his presence because suddenly her head tilted towards him and, though she wasn't crying, her eyes were wet. But it was the pallor of her skin that set him into motion. In three long strides he was at her side and reaching for her wrist. She pulled back but his command of, "Give it," brought it back to him. When he was satisfied that her pulse was at least within the normal range, he let her go and shifted his eyes from his Movado to her face.

"You don't look so good," he said.

"Thanks," Kara's gaze was on the phone she was fiddling with in her hands.

"Your mother said you were coming up to the conference room," he said. When he got no response he continued, "Why didn't you?"

"I needed to think."

"Did you figure anything out?" he asked.

She shook her head slightly, "I was texting with Rachel."

"Did you fill her in on everything?"

"Yup. And then some," she added.

He made a mental note that there was information she had that he didn't, "Did she offer any insight?" his patience was waning.

"Some."

"Are you going to make me drag everything out of you?" his voice starting to raise.

Kara looked at him for the first time since he entered the room and took a chance, "She said I should trust you."

Rossi puffed out a breath and tried to control his irritation before it turned into anger. This proved rather difficult. "Why do you need someone to tell you that?"

"I don't know," Kara kept her eyes on him, almost daring him to reveal some hidden dislike of her. "I guess I get confused sometimes."

David didn't want to lose an opportunity when she was finally opening up to him, but they had no time for this. Someone was targeting his family and they needed to find out who it was. "You struggle and then you pull away from me. I wait patiently for you to come around, and that seems to make things worse. So here's what we're going to do. We are going to work together on this case. And then I am going to sit you down and not let you get up until you understand exactly how I feel about you. Capice?"

Kara heard the anger and conviction in his voice, but would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel a little better. She couldn't give him that, though. All she could give him was an, "I guess."

"Well, that's good," he said, reaching for her hand to pull her up from her chair, "because I will not be giving you a choice." He grabbed her face with both hands and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Now go upstairs. You're mother is waiting."

She hid her smile from him as she led the way out of the room.

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When Kara saw the pizza on the round table in the conference room, it dawned on her exactly how hungry she was. She reached for a piece and sat with her feet pulled up in one of the chairs, as her mother came around to put an arm across her back. Once settled, Garcia reported spoke, "Dr. John Radcliffe, 34, married with a baby on the way. He received a doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of Connecticut and started teaching psychology at George Mason after that. A couple of years ago he filled in for a criminology class and the rest is history. I guess he liked it and they let him stay. There have been no complaints about him at the school, and he has no criminal record. Nothing of significance pops up on any of Kara's classmates, but I'm still working on that."

"Wait," Kara said. "Why are you looking into my classmates?"

Erin said, "We're trying to cover all our bases."

"What exactly have you been saying about David in your class?" Agent Hotchner asked.

"Um . . nothing."

"Are you sure, Kara? Dr. Radcliffe said you talk about him quite a bit."

"What? No! That's a lie."

"You mean no one in that class knows you are my daughter?" David asked.

"I think a few people may know. We do have different last names," when skeptical eyes were still watching her she added, "Look, I know you're some quasi-superstar, but I have been a child of the FBI for my whole life. I know better than to advertise who I am. The only one who really knows anything is Rachel. I don't talk about it!"

Erin said, "She's right. I have taught her since she was little not to advertise my job to people. Only her closest friends ever knew what I did."

Spencer said, "What about Dr. Radcliffe? Did he know?"

"He did. He had read all of you books, Dave. Evidently, to prepare for teaching the classes. Sometimes when we were alone in the office he would ask questions."

"Like what?"

"Nothing important. He would ask if you were on a case or if you were out of town. It always kind of felt like small talk."

Hotchner said, "I think we need to talk to Dr. Radcliffe again. JJ and Morgan go find him and bring him in."

"He's at the Coffee Bean," all eyes swung to her, but she couldn't blame them. She had forgotten about the texts and probably should have mentioned them when she first entered the room.

Erin asked, "How do you know that?"

Kara pulled the texts up on her phone and handed it to Dave without comment.

After reading through them, he said, "And you believed this? Is this why you stayed in the kitchen for so long?"

Kara shrugged one shoulder and the corner of her mouth twitched, but she offered no verbal reply.

"What does it say?" Morgan asked.

" 'Met your dad. Can't believe he thinks you're involved. I don't. I think I can help. Meet me at the Coffee Bean. I'll be waiting.' "

JJ and Morgan left the office. Rossi went to follow them but was caught in the hallway by Hotchner. "Let them go. They'll bring him back here. You need to stay with Erin and Kara."

"Aaron, what the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," he said with a hand on his friend's shoulder, "but we'll figure it out."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Kara and John are the only characters that are mine, although John is a jerk. Thank you for the reviews!**

John Radcliffe's eyebrows drew together over the hands which were clasped together at the bridge of his nose. If he knew he was being scrutinized from the other side of the two way mirror, he showed no sign.

Hotchner spoke to his colleague from the observation room, "You know you shouldn't be the one to conduct this interrogation."

"And you know that I'm going to," with that he turned and entered the small, dank room.

Radcliffe started talking right away, "Agent Rossi, have I done something wrong? Because if I have, I don't know what it is."

"Well, let's see," Rossi said, making a show out of opening and browsing through a file folder. "For starters, you lied to FBI agents when you said that my daughter speaks about me during class."

"She's mentioned you before."

"Uh-huh. Then you lied to her via text by letting her believe that she's a suspect."

Radcliffe rose quickly from his chair. Without looking up from his file, Rossi said, "Sit down," so he sat.

"I'm pretty sure lying to your daughter is not a crime," he said.

"True, but it makes you look awfully suspicious," Rossi closed the file in his hands and looked the professor in the eye for the first time since he entered the room. "Why are you so suspicious?"

Fear overtook his face and he was starting to sweat. "You really think I shot up my own office? I have a pregnant wife at home. Why would I do that?"

"No. I think you had someone else shoot up your office, and mine. You tell me why."

"I wouldn't. I didn't. This is crazy!"

"Then explain your relationship with my daughter."

"There is no relationship! Did she tell you there was?"

Rossi opened his file again and read, " _It's John R. heard what happened ur house. Hope ur ok I met ur dad. Cant blieve he thinks ur involved. I dont I think I can help. Can u meet? Come to the CoffeeBean. Ill b w8ing,"_ then he closed the folder and glowered at the suspect in front of him.

Radcliffe blanched, "OK. That was stupid, I admit it. But I was just trying to get more information about what had happened and I figured Kara would have it. I swear I didn't do anything to hurt you or your family."

"You don't think insinuating to Kara that I thought she was somehow involved hurt her?" he stood, "And here I thought you were supposed to be a psychologist. Never contact her again," he left the room.

Hotchner spoke as soon as Rossi returned to the observation room, "What do you think?"

"I think he's an ass, but he didn't do this." They continued staring at the downtrodden man for a few moments. "Maybe we should look at Roger again."

"Garcia found nothing on him. He is still in LA. Phone and bank records show no mysterious contacts. Why don't you and Erin take Kara home. Let the rest of us work on things for a bit."

"It's getting late. Send everyone home. We can all come back and look at it again tomorrow."

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At some point during the ride home, Erin made the transformation back into a wife and mother. She was casually dressed and in the kitchen, which showed no trace of the previous night's misdeeds, cooking a simple pasta dinner. Dave hadn't arrived home yet. Agent Morgan was driving him back to the campus to pick up Kara's car. Kara sat at the counter with a soda and watched her mother.

"Do you want to help?" Erin asked.

"Not really, but I will if you want," Kara answered. She knew she probably should have said yes, it would have been the polite thing.

"That's ok, I got it. It's kind of nice having you just watch me. Reminds me of when you were little. Of course, then you always wanted to help."

"I remember. It seems like such a long time ago, but also like it was just yesterday."

"Mmmmm . . . time can be funny like that."

"Do you think we are safe?" she was running her finger around the rim of the glass.

Erin was reaching under the cabinet for her colander when the question was asked, and she chose to answer in a nonchalant manner as not to further frighten her daughter, "Yes. I told you earlier. The house is probably safer now than it has ever been. The alarm is on. There is an officer outside. David will be home soon."

"Where is your gun?"

Erin flipped the pot of pasta into the colander in the sink, "Honey, I'm not going to need my gun. We are fine."

"But do you know where it is?" Kara was eyeing her mother intently, looking for any sign of deception.

"Of course I do," she said as she transferred the pasta into a serving bowl.

The house alarm beeped loudly and Kara jumped from her seat. Erin rushed to her side, "Kara, it's fine. It's David." They stood and listened as the front door closed and the alarm code was beeped in. Kara held her breath until she saw her stepfather enter the kitchen.

The look on her face told him everything he needed to know. He walked to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Everything is ok. You're safe." She wanted to believe him.

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He found her in his office in the late night hours as he knew he would. She was fingering his crystal decanter of top shelf scotch and acted like she hadn't heard him, but he knew she had.

"If you want a shot, all you have to do is ask," he said.

"I don't," she turned to face him.

"I thought you might stay away from this room for a while," when his only response was a shrug he continued, "a shot might help you sleep."

"I don't want to sleep."

"You need to."

"I don't want to let my guard down."

He kept his distance in the doorway, "There is a guard outside, the alarm is on, and your mother and I are here to guard you from the inside. This seems like the perfect time for you to let your guard down."

"Do you think my father did this?"

"I don't know. There is no evidence that he did. Please," he moved close to her and placed a hand on her cheek, "get some sleep and we will all look at this fresh in the morning. OK?"

She nodded and as he placed a kiss on her head, she fought back the tears that were threatening to spill. She would go back to bed and try to sleep, but she could not let him break her resolve.


	8. Chapter 8

Erin and David walked into the conference room together the next day to find the rest of the team strewn about in various degrees of wakefulness. The coffee was flowing.

"Where's Kara?" JJ asked.

"She went to school," Erin answered, still unhappy by that decision.

"You think that was a good idea?"

"No. But she's right. She can't put her life on hold. She needs to get back into it and she needs to not lose ground in her studies," Erin said, repeating the arguments her daughter had given her a couple of hours earlier.

Dave said, "She still has an agent following her, in case anything happens. Anything new here?"

Derek said, "We were just thinking about Roger. Where do the two of you stand with that?"

"Honestly, I don't think it's him. He doesn't even know Kara had a job on campus. She started after contact with him had ended," Erin said.

"Any chance she's still in touch with him and neither of you know about it?"

Erin looked towards her husband for the reply, on the off chance that he knew something she didn't. It wouldn't have been the first time her daughter had confided in her husband. She trusted that David would convince Kara to talk to her mother if it were something serious, but she also trusted David to keep their daughter's confidence. He responded, "There's always a chance, but I don't think so."

Aaron joined in, "We can have Garcia check her phone records. If it doesn't show contact with Roger, it may show something else."

When Erin nodded her approval, Spencer stood from his seat, "I'll go tell her." He was at the door when the whirlwind that is Penelope Garcia and her laptop almost knocked him down.

"Guys, guys, guys, I think I have something. Oh!" she said when she saw Strauss, "and ma'am," she screeched to a halt at the table, connected her computer to the projector and clicked a button. The mugshot of a twenty-something male popped up of the screen. "Look familiar?" she asked.

"Should it?" Rossi answered.

As if she hadn't even heard him, Penelope continued, "Matthew Sherwood. 22. Former student at George Mason University majoring in criminology. Charged with felony drug possession. Just finished a thirty day prison stint last week."

"What's his connection to my daughter?" Erin asked.

No one had noticed Reid's smug face and nodding head until he spoke, "He's one of the kids we arrested when Kara was held at gunpoint a few months ago."

"Oh my God!" Erin exclaimed.

"So, what, he wants revenge on Kara?" Rossi asked.

Morgan said, "We did get involved because of Kara. He probably sees her presence there as causing his sentence. Sounds like a good reason for revenge."

JJ asked, "What would he have been looking for at Rossi's house? Kara was pretty sure there were two of them and they were looking for something."

"We'll just have to ask him,' Hotch said, "Garcia do we have an address?"

"Already on your phone."

Everyone stood to leave, but Hotch said, "David, get ahold of Kara's detail and have her brought in here. Stay here with Erin and we'll keep you posted."

David nodded and took out his phone. Erin asked, "Is it really necessary to bring Kara in? Maybe she can just stay at school and we can handle this without her knowing."

David walked away to continue his call and Aaron spoke to his superior, "Erin, I'm taking the lead on this. You're too close. But, yes, it is necessary. We don't know what his end game is and Kara's safety has to be our priority."

"Of course," she said to his departing back, feeling slightly humiliated once again by what appeared to be her disregard for her daughter. It was difficult for Erin to determine when to pull the reins in on her child and when to let go. Somewhere along the way of raising her, things blurred.

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Kara was seated outside the school cafeteria between classes with her best friend, Rachel. They were catching up on the last couple of days of drama and having a late lunch.

"I'm glad you stayed away from Radcliffe and talked to Dave instead," Rachel said. "You are so lucky to have him. Way better than your dad."

"Yeah, I know you're right. I just get so nervous that I'm not good enough for him. That he thinks I'm weak or annoying or something."

"Well, according to my Psych studies, I think you've convinced yourself of that based on your insecurities."

"Oh, well, thank you very much, Dr. Taylor. I'll tell my mother to send you a check," they both laughed and turned their conversation towards plans for the weekend.

A few moments later, a shadow covered them and they both looked up. As Kara took in his presence and her memory files clicked into place, she inhaled sharply and rose to her feet. It was him!

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The young agent was new to his profession, but that only make him more eager than the average to perform well at his job. He was chosen for this particular task, that of keeping safe the daughter of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Section Chief Erin Strauss and Supervisory Special Agent, and Bureau legend, David Rossi, because of his youthful appearance which would blend into the collegiate setting. Even so, he kept his Orioles cap pulled down low over his eyes, and made a show of playing with his iPhone. His attention was on the girls eating at a cafe table across the quad from him. Kara's friend, Rachel, was with her often, so there was no cause for concern, but he made sure they were always in his line of sight.

When questioned later, he wouldn't be able to recall which came first, the photo text popping up on his phone, or the appearance of the boy at Kara's table. The two occurrences were that simultaneous. He reached into his jacket covered holster for his gun and raced towards his charge.

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Rachel thought the boy looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. It didn't take huge incite, however, to ascertain from Kara's response that he was a threat. She jumped to her feet as her friend did. "Kara?"

The boy acted as if she wasn't there. He spoke to Kara through gritted teeth, "You bitch!" as his fist crossed his body and smashed into her right eye.

"Kara!" she screamed and pushed the cafe table out of her way to get to where her friend had fallen. The attempt was in vain. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and effectively throw her aside. She crashed into furniture which probably prevented her from suffering any injuries more than the scrapes and bruises that would appear later.

Unable to put together all the pieces of this puzzle, she heard a shout of, "FBI! Don't move!"

Rachel's head swiveled toward the voice and she saw the agent running at them, gun drawn. Instinct told her to get out of the way and she scrambled backwards. The action wasn't quick enough. A shot rang through the air and she screamed as the boy tumbled backwards onto her.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Major plot hole ahead. Sorry. I'll explain at the end of the chapter.**

Kara sat in an oversized armchair in the dimly lit living room caressing a mug of hot tea. The steam wafted through her nose and she closed her eyes allowing the heat to invade her head. The effect was calming. Placing the mug against the cheek, opposite the growing bruise under her eye, the hotness radiated through her skull. A moment later she moved the cup and blew across the top of it before taking a sip and enjoying the spread of warmth throughout her body.

Earlier, she had shrugged off her mother's attempts to, well, mother her, but had accepted the hot beverage. Erin entered the room again with an ice pack and Kara moved her head to allow for the gentle placement of it on her face. "This will help with the swelling," she said. "Do you want something for the pain?"

"No, mom, I'm fine. Really," she said.

She sat on the couch across from her daughter and looked at her. Her heart was broken seeing her beautiful child's face beaten. All she wanted to do was take the pain away, but she could think of no way to do that. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kara removed the ice from her face and took another sip of tea. Before she could answer her mother continued, "You need to leave that there."

"Mom, please," was all she said. A glance in her mother's direction told her that Erin was struggling and she didn't want that so she added, "Please don't be upset, Mom, I'm really ok. I'll put the ice on is a bit."

"Ok," Erin said. She had spoken with countless victims over the years, but could think of nothing to say to comfort her own daughter.

As if reading her thoughts, Kara said, "Please don't treat me like a victim."

This actually helped Erin, and she remained in mom-mode. She had read the statement Kara gave, and Rachel's, so she knew the details of what happened. What she didn't know was, "How are you feeling now?"

Kara turned slightly so she was facing her mother and thought before answering, "Kind of numb. Like, it all seems surreal. Did this really just happen?"

She gave her daughter a small smile, "Yes, I'm sorry but it did."

"What will happen now?"

"David's taking care of everything. We'll find out more when he comes home. But you need to know that you're safe."

Right on cue, the front door opened. Erin saw Kara flinch and watched the fear cross her eyes for a moment before realizing it was David. Kara shifted in her chair again in an attempt to cover for her involuntary reaction. David quickly reset the house alarm and joined his family in the living room. He approached Kara first, tipping her chin up slightly to examine the disturbing bruise, then planting his customary kiss on the top up her head. Without saying a word, he moved to greet his wife in a similar fashion, then turned back to face his step daughter. "Sweetheart, I need to talk to your mother in the other room for a bit. Will you be alright?"

"No," she startled and started to rise out of the chair. Both of her parents moved forward to help steady her, but she brushed them off. "What's going on? I need to know!"

"I'm not going to keep anything from you, Kara. Sit back down."

She felt an overwhelming urge to fight, but didn't understand why. "I'm not going to sit down. Just tell me what's going on."

She was clearly distraught and so much had happened to her lately that David decided to give her some control back and acquiesced. "Did you recognize the man who attacked you?"

"Yes. He was at the shooting. He was the boy I was telling you about. I thought he was trying to help me then." She felt the fight leave her body and sat back into the chair. David joined her by sitting on the ottoman in front of her.

"I don't know what he was thinking that night, but he received a short prison sentence from it. He recently got out and it seems he decided to blame you."

"Why?"

"Well, because you were at the house that night, my team was able to find you and bust the group. He turned all of his anger on you."

"So is who broke into the house and . . ." he voice trailed as she tried not to think about the gunshots that night.

"Yes. He confessed to that and gave up his partner, who is also in custody."

Erin had moved behind the chair and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. She spoke, "Do we know what they were looking for in the desk?"

He turned his attention to his wife, "It seems they were quite high that night. They weren't looking for anything."

"They didn't seem high," Kara said.

"That's the best we can determine. There would be nothing here, or at Radcliffe's office that they would want. They were just trying to scare you."

"It worked," she leaned her head back and close her eyes for a moment before they flew back open, "It wasn't my fault. I was trying to help Rachel that night," her voice was barely audible.

"We know that. I'm sorry this happened to you, but you're safe now." When she nodded, he continued, "Is it ok if your mom and I leave you for a bit to go talk?"

Her eyes widened, "Leave me?"

He put a hand on hers, "Just to go into the kitchen. We aren't leaving you."

"Are you keeping something from me?" She asked.

"No, honey, just shop talk. And you need to rest."

OK," she settled back into the chair.

Erin rose and took the teacup from her tired looking child. She gently moved the hand holding the ice pack back up to her face, "Please." She didn't want to frighten her, but the whole right quarter of her face looked horrible, and she wanted it better as soon as possible.

"I'll try, Mom," Kara said, and she closed her eyes as her parents left the room.

 **AN: I don't like outlining my stories, I like to just write and see where the characters take me. The problem with that is you kind of write yourself into a corner. When I figured out who had broken into the house, I could think of nothing that they could have been searching for. Ugh! So frustrating! Maybe some day I'll go back and fix the whole story, but for now, I 'm leaving it like this. Probably just one more chapter here, then I have another idea for Kara in the back of my mind. Perhaps I should outline that one! Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	10. Chapter 10

A couple of hours later, Kara woke with a start to find the that the sun was setting. She took a few moments to get her wits about her, then made her way into the kitchen where she could hear her parents talking. They had both changed into more comfortable clothing, and were seated at the counter indulging in ice cream.

"Hey," Kara said as she enter the room. Her mother rose from her seat and almost tripped trying to get to her child. That child, however, raised a hand to stop her advance. "Mom, take it easy. I'm ok. I can walk across the room by myself,

Erin agreed to not draw any closer, but asked, for what felt like the fiftieth time that day, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel a little sore, but I think that's to be expected. I know. I'm safe. Neither of you need to say that again. What is that anyway? The FBI party line?"

Dave, who had only stolen a sideways glance at his step daughter and ascertained that she was fine from her spunky attitude, took another spoonful of his dessert and answered, "It tends to make people feel better." The word victim almost slipped out, but he caught himself.

"Well, I think they need a new line. I think _people_ would feel much better if they heard, 'Would you like some chocolate ice cream,' when they were in stressful situations."

"Not bad," he said, "maybe I'll propose that. What do you think, Boss?"

The Section Chief ignored him and focused on her daughter, "Honey, sit. Let me get you some chocolate ice cream."

She looked cheekily at Dave, "See, it works. I feel better already."

"Atta girl," he replied.

They all consumed the ice cream for a few moments before Dave spoke again, "You know, we still need to talk," he gestured towards Kara with his spoon, "you and I. I believe there are some unresolved issues from before this whole mess."

"And you want to do that now?" Kara asked. He nodded as he put the spoon into his mouth.

Erin stood and moved to place her empty bowl in the sink, "Well, I'll take that as my cue to leave."

"You can stay," Kara said.

"No, she can't," Dave said.

Erin made her way around the counter and kissed her husband on the lips. Pulling back, she said, "Go easy on her. She's hurt." She then turned to her daughter and grimaced at the bruise once again. "Put some more ice on that before you go to bed, please." Then she left the room.

They enjoyed their treats in silence for a few more minutes, then Kara bagan, "Why do you think this is a good time to talk, when I've had such a crappy day?" Looking into her bowl, she swirled the chocolate as she spoke, "I mean, what? Are you trying to trick me or something?"

"How would I be trying to trick you?"

She dropped her spoon into the bowl, "See! You're doing it again! You're answering a question with a question. You are trying to trick me!"

Still sitting at the counter, Dave threw his hands up and held them defensively in front of him, "I'm sorry. Honey, I'm not trying to trick you. I know you're not feeling well. I thought that, because you are feeling a bit vulnerable right now, we could talk without you fighting me. That's all."

"OK," she settled. "I'm sorry. I don't really want to fight with you either."

"And sometimes answering a question with a question has no hidden meaning. Sometimes it's just a question."

"So how do you know when it is something?"

"I gotta tell you a secret, kid. A lot of the time, it's just guessing. I've gotten good at guessing over the years." She smiled up at him. "Now tell me. What's been bothering you?"

She looked back down at her ice cream, swirling her spoon in the bowl before bringing it to her lips to pull the last bits of it into her mouth. "I guess I've just been thinking about my father lately."

"Yeah? Have you heard from him?" Dave wanted nothing more than for the man to be completely erased from her memory, but this was her father they were talking about. She deserved some compassion, even if Roger didn't.

"Like that would happen," she said as she rose and placed both of their bowls into the sink.

"Do you want it to happen? Do you want to get in touch with him?" His blood was starting to boil, but he controlled himself for her sake.

"No. Don't worry, I still want nothing to do with him. I just think of him sometimes. It was always impossible to please him. His expectations were so high, and, no matter what I did, I couldn't live up to them."

He remained silent, unsure where she was going with this, but knowing there was more involved than that. She started wiping the clean counters in an attempt to avoid his eyes. When it became clear that she was offering no more information, he probed further, "Was it always like that with him?"

Kara thought for a moment, "I guess maybe when my mom was around I didn't really notice. She was a kind of buffer for us. When she went away, it was hard to ignore. Plus, I was so worried about her. It was just a really hard time for me."

"I can imagine. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to help you." He watched her make her way around the kitchen with the sponge. Having finished all the countertops, she moved on to the stove now adding a spray cleaner to her regime. "I guess I don't really understand what this has to do with me. Why have you been so distant from me?"

"I guess I'm just afraid."

Tired of pulling teeth, he rose and met her as she approached the refrigerator. He put his hand on top of hers to stop the cleaning, and with his other hand, removed the spray bottle placing it on the counter. "Afraid of what? Me?"

"I guess," she said quietly, looking at the floor.

"Look at me," he said. She took a great deal of time doing that, but he waited. When her tear filled eyes finally rose to his, he spoke, "You could never do anything to make me stop loving you."

She wanted to believe him. He looked and sounded so sincere, but how could she?

He continued, "Have I done something to make you think otherwise?"

"No," she said. "I guess maybe it's not really about you. It's more about me."

"What does that mean?"

She broke away from him and moved to sit back at the counter. She needed the counter to separate them. "I want to do the right things, but sometimes I can't. I'm supposed to be an adult now, but I'm not a very good one. I don't want to disappoint you, or mom, but I think it's inevitable."

Her words came quickly and the tears joined them. Dave tried to make sense of what she had said, but couldn't. "I don't understand. Have you done something wrong that I don't know about?"

"No! But I want to. And you'll hate me." She watched her hands on the counter which would not stop fiddling.

"You're talking about stealing, aren't you?" Her lack of response was his answer. He walked around the counter and sat next to her. "Kara, we've talked about this."

"I know. You said I can't do it again because I will get caught and all sorts of bad things will happen. But I don't think I can hold off much longer. It's the only thing that calms my anxiety."

"Have you shoplifted at all since the last time we spoke? Be honest."

"No."

"Have you felt anxious during that time?"

"Well, yeah, that happened months ago. I feel anxious a lot."

"Ok, so you do not need to steal to relieve stress. You've done it successfully for months. Stop telling yourself that you need it."

"I try but - it's like there's a devil on my shoulder and sometimes he's really loud in my ear telling me to just do it."

He reached up to Kara's cheek and wiped away a tear, then kept his hand there. "There are always going to be times when that devil is yelling at you. But you are stronger." Her lip twitched and she tried to turn away from him, but he wouldn't allow it. "You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. And I'm here for you. And so is your mom. We will help you, but you have to let us in on what's going on with you. Don't avoid me. Let me help you. Ok?"

"Yeah, I guess I can try."

He kissed the top of her head. "That's my girl! Now let's get you some more ice and get you up to bed. We will sit down with your mom in the morning and we will all three come up with a plan for your anxiety that doesn't involve breaking the law."

Kara let him take her hand and pull her up from the counter. And for the millionth time she wished that he really was her dad.

 **AN: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I hope to start another Kara story soon.**


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